Hello, and welcome to my blog! If you are reading this, it means I managed to stop distracting myself with looking at tattoo artists and listening to TED talks and trying to decide which book to read next and cleaning my apartment long enough to sit down and write something. Not that I ever try and do too many things at once.

For any new friends, my name is Helen, and I am a creator of many types of handlettered goods currently based in Chicago. You can read more about me and the adventure that is Light & Pine here, about the year of lettering that led me to where I am here, and get in touch here! I’m looking forward to having this blog as a space to share people and art and words and music I find inspiring, to share my thoughts on any number of various topics, to write a little more than I do on my sometimes-too-long-Instagram posts and overall to give Light & Pine a more personal touch and behind-the-scenes look at my life and my work.

This quote from Sister Corita Kent comes from her list of Art Department Rules for a class she taught at Immaculate Heart College in 1967-1968. During my year of lettering, I found this quote to use for the final day of the year and think it says so very, very much about what I believe to be true about creating: “There is no mistake. There’s no win and no fail. There is only make.” Art and creativity and making can be such tricky things. There always seems to be an underlying current of comparison and you-are-not-quite-enough and who-do-you-think-you-are, and it can be so damaging. The way she puts it is difficult and simple all at once: there are no mistakes, no wins, no failures – only making. It’s such an easy thing to hear, and so much more difficult to put into practice and to believe, and also so important to start doing so. As I start this journey of art as a business, I’m sure there will be some things that may not entirely feel like a win, some things that will definitely feel like failures or mistakes, but they will all be things that I have made. Thank you times infinity and beyond for joining me on this adventure!

You can find the entire list of rules here, from one of my favorite websites, illustrated by Lisa Congdon, who has been a big source of inspiration to me as well.